Chapter 34
Zhou Yuanzhe grasped Xiang Boyan's wrist. The contact only lasted for a fleeting second before he let go.
Xiang Boyan paused for a moment, assuming that Zhou Yuanzhe was startled. Looking down at the red mark on his left hand, he asked in a deep voice, "Are you hurt?"
Cheng Xuyuan let out a sigh of relief, thinking how he had been shadowboxing. Regaining his composure, he replied nonchalantly, "It's fine, just a minor injury."
"Have you applied any medicine?" Xiang Boyan let go of Zhou Yuanzhe's hand and asked, quite naturally.
"I will go to the hospital later," Zhou Yuanzhe appeared calm as always, resembling an unwavering iceberg. "Does Mr. Xiang have any other matters?"
Xiang Boyan sat back down in his swivel chair, fixing his gaze on Zhou Yuanzhe for a moment. He then slowly said, "I've landed the endorsement deal for An Ye. Whether he becomes famous or not depends on you now."
"…Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Xiang," Cheng Xuyuan thought sarcastically, wondering how Xiang Boyan could be so domineering. Landing an endorsement deal for An Ye himself was too overwhelming.
Xiang Boyan contemplated, harboring hopes that Zhou Yuanzhe's tasks would be easier after landing the first endorsement deal for An Ye.
The two of them, each with their own thoughts, exchanged glances. Xiang Boyan nodded slightly, indicating that Zhou Yuanzhe could leave now.
As Cheng Xuyuan approached the door, Xiang Boyan's voice sounded again, "I've arranged a few assistants for An Ye, they will take care of him from now on."
Zhou Yuanzhe paused in his tracks.
"Also, remember to apply some ice."
Cheng Xuyuan was momentarily stunned. Moments later, he turned his head to politely nod at the president in gratitude, acknowledging his assistance, and then he left the president's office promptly.
Xiang Boyan stared at the now closed door as if trying to see through it.
Something was off, very off.
If the previous Zhou Yuanzhe was a cool and aloof wildcat with a deep-seated cunning, the current one appeared like a pet cat desperately trying to impersonate the wild one. Although he retained his facade, he was subtly less indifferent, and he carried an almost imperceptible charming hue.
Even though Xiang Boyan wasn't sure why Zhou Yuanzhe had transformed in this way, wasn't it kind of… nice?
He thought about the feeling of Zhou Yuanzhe grabbing his wrist earlier, and couldn't help his lips from curling into a faint smile.
In the following days, President Xiang did indeed arrange multiple assistants for An Ye, even surpassing the original crew. Ultimately, Zhou Yuanzhe, on the grounds of having too many hands to manage efficiently, only kept a few essential personnel.
After securing the endorsement for Brand X's perfume, An Ye went on to formally shoot the commercial. His co-star was the up-and-coming actress, Chen Mengyan, who already had a bit of fame.
Upon finding out that she was to be paired with An Ye, Chen Mengyan was quite angry. She said to her agent, "Can't we reject this? That guy is has-been, and he's even plagued with scandals...."
Her agent patiently persuaded her, "Isn't this perfect to underscore your purity amid the mire? After the broadcast, everyone will undoubtedly pity you, which is good for your popularity.
"The most important thing is, we can't go against Xing Entertainment; we might have to collaborate with them in the future." The agent advised painstakingly, "Also, despite everything, An Ye does generate a lot of buzz."
After much grumbling, Chen Mengyan reluctantly agreed in the end.
On set, she barely disguised her disdain for An Ye. Apart from the necessary shooting, she was completely indifferent to An Ye throughout. Fortunately, An Ye was highly competent and was not affected at all, excelling at the shoot.
Moreover, during their shared screen time, An Ye's acting skill convincingly portrayed a sweet affection, earning silent admiration from even the director.
The commercial aired a week later. As Chen Mengyan's agent had predicted, the advertisement instantly catapulted both An Ye and Chen Mengyan into the trending list, triggering much fanfare.
The scandal-plagued An Ye, who had just been embroiled in controversy, was back in the public eye. Shooting a high-profile commercial like this drew a whirlwind of speculation from the public.
"Does An Ye have a powerful backer? How could he still get a commercial endorsement despite the scandal?"
"I heard that Zhou Yuanzhe has taken An Ye under his wing again. It seems that those rumors were true."
"It can't be Xing Entertainment, right? They have so many promising stars at their disposal, why use An Ye?"
Meanwhile, An Ye's haters became increasingly active, flooding the advertisement’s comment section with unsightly remarks.
"What is brand X's intention, using a notorious artist like An Ye for a perfume ad?"
"Yao Yao claims they are just friends, even after images of them holding hands have surfaced... still denying it, huh..."
"I’m boycotting all brand X's products since they've chosen An Ye."
In the blink of an eye, An Ye became the target of public criticism, also dragging Yao Yao into the trending list, with the pair being ridiculed. Despite the public outcry, this didn't affect the popularity of Brand X's commercial, incidentally boosting Chen Mengyan's fame. The public was largely sympathetic towards Chen Mengyan, believing she had been unfairly dragged down by An Ye.
While negativity towards An Ye was rife on the internet, some impressions of him improved after watching the advert, applauding his acting skills. However, these minor remarks were swallowed up by the flood of negative comments.
Xiang Boyan knew about this, but instead of instructing the PR department to do damage control as usual, he chose to take no action. He wanted to see how Zhou Yuanzhe would handle this situation.
The storm of malicious comments online certainly had an impact on An Ye. Before his rebirth, he was not well-known and never experienced being at the center of public scrutiny.
Fortunately, An Ye had strong mental fortitude and was not overwhelmed.
The day after the advertisement aired, Zhou Yuanzhe took the initiative to visit An Ye's apartment. As soon as he sat on the sofa, he asked An Ye, "How are you coping with the consequences of your forced comeback? Can you handle it?"
While pouring tea for Zhou Yuanzhe, An Ye paused, obviously not expecting that question.
"I'm just reminding you that if you can't handle it, there's still time to choose to back out now," Zhou Yuanzhe said, picking up his teacup but not taking a sip, just staring at the tea leaves floating in the water. "What awaits you in the future is far more than just these comments."
An Ye calmly looked at him, then bowed his head, strands of his hair casting shadows on his forehead.
"Brother Yuan, like I said before, I'm not the same as them," An Ye said calmly. "If I couldn't handle public opinion, I wouldn't have come to you in the first place."
Cheng Xuyuan let out a sigh, glancing at An Ye's faint dark circles. The young man must not have slept for a night.
"If that's the case, then there are a few things I need to tell you."
Zhou Yuanzhe's voice was crisp, always like a melted ice spring on the snow-capped mountain—his words were just as clear and penetrating, yet piercing like the ice spring.
"First of all, you need to be clear that you can't follow the youthful idol path anymore, and your persona will need to be re-established."
"Secondly, regarding the matter between Yao Yao and you, I have a way to solve it, but you must cooperate with me wholeheartedly during this time."
"Also, no matter what kind of storm you encounter in the future, you must discuss strategies with me right away. Don't keep it to yourself, understand?"
An Ye stared at him, lost for words for a moment. His eyes were half touched and half admired.
"Drink your tea, it's getting cold." Zhou Yuanzhe returned to his unflappable demeanour, which was drastically different from the shrewd and decisive appearance he had shown just moments ago.
But either way, Zhou Yuanzhe instilled an incomparable sense of security in An Ye. It was like that morning's fragrant breakfast, allowing him to find a long-lost sense of belonging in an instant.
After leaving An Ye's apartment, Zhou Yuanzhe called a media company: "Hello, I have something I need your help with..."
________________________
At exactly 8 PM that night.
The trending topic #JiYunlangCheats soared like a military rocket, climbing from the bottom of the hot search to the top spot within ten minutes. It also dominated the top three topics with #AnYe and #YaoYao.
Ji Yunlang was Yao Yao's husband. The couple had been married for three years and had always been the golden couple of the entertainment industry. Over a month ago, Yao Yao was exposed to have had a private meeting with An Ye, and photos of them holding hands and kissing were leaked, instantly destroying the harmonious facade they had worked so hard to maintain. Ji Yunlang was then dubbed the most miserable male artist of the year.
However, at this moment, if you click into the hot search, all you see are clear and increasingly intimate photos of Ji Yunlang meeting a young model privately. Each photo clearly shows the date it was taken, some were taken last year, and some were taken last week.
Netizens were instantly in an uproar, discussing what was really happening between this couple. Among all the discussions, speculation that their marriage was a sham was not uncommon and quite convincing.
As a result, public opinion changed once again, and netizens began discussing the relationship between An Ye and Yao Yao.
If, as everyone guessed, the couple has been leading separate emotional lives for a long time, then An Ye is undoubtedly the biggest scapegoat of this incident.
Seeing matters escalating, the couple, who were managed by the same agency, both issued statements.
In the statement, they displayed their divorce certificate, confirming that they had peacefully divorced a year ago. They chose not to disclose this to the public out of consideration for their child's life.
Thus, the storyline between the three changed dramatically, qualifying as the first major drama of the year.
"It seems like An Ye is really pitiable. The couple had already divorced after all."
"Yao Yao is not exactly an angel either. She knows how badly An Ye was maligned, yet she did not speak up."
"I guess Ji Yunlang must have stopped her from speaking, trying to maintain his image of a good husband..."
Internet accounts that had fervently criticised An Ye during the day instantly changed their tune, expressing sympathy for An Ye's plight. Some even claimed that "the entire Internet owes An Ye an apology."
In this situation, An Ye's response becomes particularly important.
If he doesn't respond to the matter, he will clearly miss an opportunity to rebuild his image. If he reacts poorly, he may once again be mired in a controversy.
An Ye looked at the comments on Weibo, his heart pounding. He called Zhou Yuanzhe, trying to steady his voice, and asked, "Brother Yuan, what should I do next..."
Over the phone, Zhou Yuanzhe's clear voice came through.
At half past nine in the evening,
Just as the incident was garnering nationwide attention, An Ye finally posted a Weibo post.
He didn't post original content; he chose to share another post.
The shared post was a perfume advertisement by Brand X, one he had shot with Chen Mengyan.
【An Ye V: Spring is here, be at your freshest. // Brand X V: [Video]】
"Spring is here, be at your freshest" is the slogan Brand X created for their spring perfume, the implication was clear: it's time to refresh your perfume.
An Ye's post pushed the incident to a new climax. Almost all media praised his clever move, heralding it as a smart play from An Ye.
On the surface, it seems like he's promoting the new perfume, but in reality, it's a metaphor that the dark days have passed, spring has arrived, and he has a fresh start.
But at the same time, others can't overinterpret An Ye's response. After all, wasn't the slogan of Brand X's advertisement these eight words?
Half-past eleven that night.
Brand X urgently tweeted a notification.
【Brand X V: Very sorry to announce that our new spring perfume is sold out. Thank you all for your support and love, restocking is in process...】
In less than five hours, Zhou Yuanzhe used his iron-fisted tactics and wide connections to effortlessly help An Ye make a comeback.
Chen Mengyan's agent took advantage of the situation and quickly paid for articles to be written, hyping up the relationship and forming a "ship" between An Ye and Chen Mengyan. As a result, the topic #SweetAnYeAndChenMengyan trended strongly, climbing into the top ten in the early hours of the morning and caused a sensation for the young actress.
In fact, "shipping" is a common tactic in the entertainment industry. If used well, it can help rising stars to take a big step forward, achieving a significant effect with relatively little effort.
However, this is what Cheng Xuyuan was most worried about.
Because in the original work, Xiang Boyan is a jealous type. According to the typical plot development, Xiang Boyan would have already developed feelings for An Ye at this point. So, if a "ship" between An Ye and someone else emerges at this time, the "Jealous King" Xiang would definitely be unhappy.
Sure enough, the next morning, while the topic #SweetAnYeAndChenMengyan was reaching the fourth place on the hot search list, Cheng Xuyuan also received a call directly from Xiang Boyan.
________________________
Author's note:
No character collapse or reduction in IQ here. Zhou Yuanzhe and Cheng Xuyuan are not the same person, we can only say that Chengcheng is trying his best to pose as a cold iceberg. Of course, this will be seen through, otherwise, the plot can't progress (covering face). Also, all the descriptions of the entertainment circle are completely made up by me, so please don't bring it into the real world, love you all. Thanks to all the little angels who voted for me or supplied me with nutrient solution~
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment